The invention relates to a bipolar forceps for coagulating and severing the body tissue of a patient by way of a forceps jaw which consists of two jaw parts, which is actuatable with a proximate handle for opening and closing and which is located at the distal forceps end, wherein on the distal end section of a first jaw part a hook projects towards the second jaw part, said hook fixing the tissue, grasped between the jaw parts given a closed forceps jaw, in the forceps jaw.
With such an electro surgical bipolar forceps (U.S. Pat. No. 4,418,692) the tissue to be coagulated, of e.g. tubes in the inside of the body are grasped between the jaw parts. These are formed as bipolar electrodes and are run through with a high-frequency current which causes the tissue located between the electrodes to be coagulated.
Thereafter tissue locations coagulated in this way are severed with a scissors. The exchange of instruments caused by way of this is annoying and also timeconsuming and by way of the lengthening of the operation time leads to unnecessary burdening of the patient and operating personnel. The surgeon may under certain circumstances also briefly lose the orientation during the exchange of instrument.
Improved are the forceps with an integrated knife (EP 0 210 125 A1, U.S. Pat. No. 5,445,638), the knife however must be actuated separately after the coagulation procedure. Furthermore forceps equipped with knives or scissors are quite complicated in their construction.
The object of the invention lies in providing a bipolar forceps with which the coagulation and the severing of tubular organs and also fine tissue structures may be carried out with a single instrument without a change of instrument and without an additional actuation of a cutting tool.
This object with bipolar forceps according to the known type is achieved according to the invention in that on the first jaw part additionally there is provided a proximally running web which proceeds directly from the hook and projects in the direction of the second jaw part.
With the application of such a forceps the tissue grasped between the jaw parts is coagulated. Subsequent to this, tissue which has become brittle by way of the coagulation and which particularly in the region of the edges of the web on account of the high current density is carbonized, inasmuch as this has not already been effected, with the forceps jaw remaining closed is completely broken open and severed in that the forceps jaw is simply pulled somewhat proximally, wherein the hook effects the breaking open of the tissue or at least supports this and other-wise has the purpose of preventing the sliding out of the tissue from the forceps jaw.
With a preferred embodiment form the hook and the web form one piece and the hook projects towards the second jaw part beyond the web. The web and the first jaw part are in cross section T-shaped, wherein the web at its free cross sectional end forms at least one sharp longitudinally running edge. Furthermore the second jaw part has a recess which may essentially completely accommodate the hook and the web given a closed jaw part in the case that no tissue is located between the jaw parts. Furthermore the contour of the recess is adapted to the contour of the web surface which lies opposite the second forceps jaw or the recess. If thus this web surface is rectangular usefully also the recess will have a rectangular contour so that in this case two sharp longitudinal edges are present on the web on which there is given a particularly high density of the current flowing from the web to the second jaw part via the tissue.